One shuttle bus, one taxi, one plane, one coach, another taxi and I'm finally hooooooome

@Mini - thank you for your posts, they've definitely given me food for thought (see what I did there?) - will read articles tomorrow when brain is less fluffy.

@liger - if he'd picked me I would have said (I know, because I wrote it down <tragic>):

I'm here for Mumsnet, and on behalf of mothers everywhere, to say it is unacceptable that over 3 million of our children die from malnutrition each year. You know in your heart that you could do more to stop this from happening. So my question to you is - what MORE can you do to support women in developing countries to feed their children, and WHEN will you do it?

Thanks for all the well dones - it really truly was an honour to represent you lot.

@scarecrow - your post has me chuffed to bits

Soooo. Final thoughts are that the G8 did not deliver everything that the IF Campaign hoped it would, but it was definitely a step forward.

Tax dodging in particular won't be swept under the carpet anymore - the public are onto it and it's only a matter of time before public pressure forces more gvt action.

Would like to say more about this "The losses to the DRC from this particular deal are estimated to be $1.3 billion - twice the DRC health and education budget"

especially at a time when western states are totting up huge debts and cutting social programmes. All is not as it seems when politicians speak. When investment comes from private sources, it is always with the express intention of making greater surpluses. One of the ways in which some of these countries are kept poor is actually because of this investment. To say that tax avoidance creates poverty in Uganda but ignore the fact that the impoverishment of both the UK state and its people stems from the same neo-liberal economic model, proves our leaders are either thick or they deliberately obscure the truth and they think we are thick!

When aid comes from western countries it is always with the express purpose of shoring up the capitalist system, for it will fail without A)creating new markets to sup up all that lovely surplus made through cheap labour and tax avoidance, B)ensuring that every last thing is privatised to make profit and ensure all public money whether tax or aid is shovelled back into the coffers of the corporations. Ask yourself why everything here is slowly being cut or privatised???

If you read both of those reports, esp the section on economics and the second report, para Recovery of stolen assets, its as clear today as it was in 1917 that imperialist corporations with the assistance of the western states and the banks, are carving up the world for profit.

I have been lurking and followed whole thread. Thank you so much Bicnod - and the other informed posters. Your Huff Post article gave me goosebumps it was so good. Have been finally dragged out of my newborn bubble and engaged with big world again - and in the best way. Safe home, and I also really look forward to hearing your round up. I'd also be interested in links to other blogs or articles you think have covered.it particularly well. thanks

My feeling is that results from G8 are always weak. One could be forgiven for being under the impression that motions are being gone through rather than anyone actually being on fire to change anything.

You've been fabulous Bicnod and really risen to the challenge of being "outside your comfort zone".

At Belfast City airport waiting for flight home. Place crawling with journos and flight delayed <sigh>

Will post later with final thoughts etc.

Generally speaking the feeling is the G8 response on tax and transparency was weak but a step in the right direction.

What do you all think?

By the way I tried very hard to get the PM's attention at press conference for question: second row, right in his line of vision, bright stripy jumper, hand first up every time. .. But to no avail. He studiously ignored me.

Cost to international relations if a loon dissident republican loon managed to get anywhere near the G8 leaders (which was not outside the realm of possibility without the £3m of razor wire etc) - priceless.

If you don't live in NI, you will never understand how important that fence and wire were...

Tee , the main issue with Food Aid is that donor aid is tied with conditionalities. Food Aid in the form of Grain from the US for example is bought from US farmers and shipped to countries with a food crisis even if there is a surplus available in other countries in the region. It supports the US farming industry and there would be uproar in the US if the practice was ceased.

Compared to that the inappropriate diversion of Food Aid in the crisis affected country is minimal and can be avoided by appropriate targeting of Aid. So for example families will chose to sell some of their grain to buy sugar or oil. If sugar and oil are included in the initial distribution there is less sold at market.

I meant that even if food aid gets to the countries that need it, there has been a problem of it getting to the actual people rather than being sold on the black market and the money filling the pockets of the governments.